Dear clients, subcontractors, agencies and friends (for those who don’t like to be called clients),

We are officially celebrating our fourth birthday. “Celebrate good times, come on!” I, Shaun Boyte, have spent four years creating moving images for Boyte Creative with the overwhelming trust, direction, mostly subtle and always crucial whispers from my partner, and our writer Kelsey Boyte, two years with the brilliant, yes, we CAN do that, Mike Grace, our producer, and now 3 months with the calm and honest energy of Tyler Boyd who edits, assists and shoots second camera. And of course the plethora of usual suspects on our crews

Reflection is always important, looking back from where we’ve come and focusing on the small achievements we hope to accomplish moving forward. We will continue to remind ourselves to take it day by day and celebrate what we have been able to accomplish. It is exciting to watch little mile markers approach in front of us and disappear as we lock in and work hard. My appreciation for those who have instilled trust in us goes beyond words. I am incredible thankful and grateful for all those who have helped us continue to kick. Thank you.

I want to express gratitude to those who have taken us to six continents (Antartica, we’re coming for you), have entrusted us with crew sizes varying from one to 30+, from kayaks with water housing with a 5D to hanging out of Tahoe’s with DJI Ronin and RED Epic. Helping shape us from the floors of convention centers on sticks and sliders for online audiences to handholding a week for broadcast. Baseball bats to Japanese beef bowls, from sustainable agriculture to young adults fighting cancer, parking meters to global transportation systems. Everything we do has meaning and importance, each step in this journey is a step forward.

We are living in a world of constant comparison, a life that looks curated and beautiful through the square boxes and perfected Vimeo accounts. I am constantly caught it in. Consuming only the best of what our generation is creating. My heart sinks, my head drums with a numbing beat that our work is progressing so slowly and we have so far to go.

And then Kelsey gets a beautiful sticker in the mail from Ali Nelson, it reads, “Compete with yourself, not with others.” (Ah, yes, timing. Thanks, Ali!)

For us we are trying to make it less about what the people around us are doing, producing, achieving. It’s about what we are capable of, capable of learning and using that as the bases for comparison and reflection. And even more importantly, it’s all really about life. Collecting full, deep, meaningful moments with our partner, loved ones, family, friends. It’s about celebrating the small things, the baby steps, the first movements in a new direction. Feeling the pain of our hands after a solid 4 hours shoveling cars out of ditches. Showering after a sweaty day in the humidity of summer in the South. Sharing a cold one with friends celebrating the birth of another year. Stepping back, pausing, and celebrating the good times. We are working on a new project right now and this phrase has come up over and over again in pre-pro, “Today IS the good ol’ days.”

Our mantra hasn’t changed, it’s just getting more engrained as we go and we all like to keep it fresh and top of mind to make sure we give you all we’ve got.

Work hard, do great work, and make people happy.

Thank you, so much, for everything. Really looking forward to giving back everything we’ve got this next year. Here’s to another year of the good ol’ days!

Cheers, Boyte Creative team

Below you’ll find the very first reel I launched when starting out 4 years ago, and our new, always under construction 2015 reel. I thought it’d be a great way to reflect on where we’ve come and the excitement for where we are going. Enjoy.

We just spent a week with the MoVi M5 and the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and I wanted to share a couple thoughts. This first video is a sample we shot while prepping gear here in Colorado with minimal grade in Resolve to show what final footage can look like as we are not able to show video from the project I am referencing.

First off, that little dude is freaking powerful. If you are looking for pure image quality for budget, you are going to get a really solid image out of this guy. We shot 1080 Prores LT with film dynamics and are stoked with the latitude and grade ability. We didn’t shoot raw, which the BMPCC is capable of, but here is a quick before and after, with just slight grading, to show you why we are stoked.

Second, size and weight. I understand building out a rig, adding weight and size to help slow overall camera movement to help the final image feel more natural and human like verses small and shaky which the current array of new/smaller technology can fall victim to. But if you are going to fly a rig on a stabilizer, it feels like the more stripped down the rig the longer the operator will be able to fly without breaks and more you can get done in a day. I used Birdman as inspiration to not set the rig down, but come on, I was carrying feathers in comparison to the steady cam rigs they were flying.

Both BTS videos below are from iPhones and the BMPCC is footage straight off camera ungraded.

Third, monitoring. Having the 4” SmallHD was an okay size for monitoring on camera, definitely reference enough to land the shots I needed. I used focus assist and stayed above a f/2.8, normally getting close to a f/5.6 and was fairly wide (11-16mm with the Metabones) all day. But having the ability for the gaffer to have access to a large, calibrated monitor, with the Paralinx HDMI stick, that added hardly any weight to the rig, while I was flying was crucial. One side note is that the HDMI output on the Pocket cam is definitely not a strong port. So after a half day of losing signal occasionally during a shot due to the tug/pull of the cord, Tyler found a way to rig the cord where it’s position wasn’t compromised by the movement of the rig (through the top support rods), which yielded uninterrupted monitoring/client monitor. Huge.

Fourth, battery life. It was tough to keep up with the BMPCC battery rate. We had a rotation of 4 batteries and two chargers and could’ve done with one more of each. The batteries on the camera lasted a mere 15-20 minutes and occasionally would die while displaying +/- 30% left (which caught me early in the week when I had the camera die in the middle of a couple shots). What we ended up doing was having the wall plug handy when reviewing footage with client and always one in the pocket while flying incase we creeped near 30-40%.

And last, rolling shutter. Rolling shutter is really evident with quick movements. Our object on this shoot was mostly to show interiors in their best light. So I flew as slow and smooth as possible, it took me an hour or two to get the right balance, but it was easily attainable after shooting then reviewing a few shots and dialing in an acceptable movement rate. Obviously, if you go the same speed and keep talent in the same 1/3rd of frame, everything will motion blur around them and keep them healthy and properly proportioned.

We shot A Cam on Blackmagic Cinema Camera with sticks and a 4’ slider while implementing a lot of shots with the pocket camera and MoVi. Overall, the image that we will dive into post with this week is going to be brilliant and will match our main camera, which is priority one. The experience, once dialing in the little tricks with the HDMI cable and wall charger, was lightweight and powerful while providing our client with an image that is relevant and will be used both online and on broadcast television.

We are working with First Descents to make an adventure film that helps redefine what it means to out live cancer and life in general, and we are really excited about it. Part of creating something incredibly unique and over the top incredible, is gathering clips that we aren’t even aware exist. So, we’d love to invite all of our friends and colleagues to participate by sending us a few clips of something fun/wild/adventurous/crazy/awesome that you’ve captured on your iPhone, GoPro, DSLR, Red Epic, or any other recording device.

This will play at the First Descents spring ball in March and then appear online after that on various FD channels (youtube/vimeo, instagram, website, blog, etc.).

The credit involved on this one is helping a non-profit that we believe strongly embraces the values and a brilliant attitude we seek to achieve every day. Below you’ll find a submission form, feel free to upload your clips that are up to 1GB in size each, or if you want to load them on a google drive/dropbox folder, fire off an email to info@boytecreative.com. We’d love it if you’d limit yourself to your best 10 clips. Submissions will close Sunday, March 1st.

We can’t thank you enough for your help as we create a short film that will impact and draw attention to not only the organization but also encourage everyone fighting cancer or not to out live it.Tweet

When we look at where we are and where we want to go both personally and professionally, we put a few things on the table. Obviously, growth (continuing to push our abilities to better serve the clients we have today and the clients we are striving to serve one day), relationships (learning how to best love on and be in relation with those who we work with and are around), and learning how to work harder and more efficiently, will always be atop our list. However, we also feel lifestyle is and should continue to be one of the strongest drivers of our decisions. We believe that by living a life that enables us to be our best selves we can then learn more efficiently, grow stronger relationships, and be able to work harder when it’s go time.

As some of you may know, Shaun and Kelsey have recently moved from the city of Denver up into the mountains a half hour west of Boulder. And Mike is in the process of transitioning from northern Los Angeles back down to San Diego where we originally met and worked together. Both of the decisions were based on the lifestyle we want to live. Neither of the moves will slow us down, but rather we believe they will not only make us better suited for the clients we have, but also position us for the clients we want.

I recently came back from eight days in Africa filming and gathering stills for one of our non-profit clients, Plant with Purpose, back in January, and parking between the trees that split our driveway and stepping out to the fresh air and quietness that surrounds our home, was an instant hit of reprieve. The excitement for what this time up here in the mountains will bring is overwhelming. And I look forward to passing on the benefits to our clients

And along the same lines of lifestyle and being able to serve today and tomorrow’s clients, we are beyond psyched to welcome Tyler Boyd to the team. Tyler, who is fresh off a long stint at Factory Design Labs, will serve as our main editor and occasional camera assistant. He brings the attitude and energy we pride ourselves on around here. As well as the excitement we have for the talent and skillset he brings, we are equally as stoked on his priority for lifestyle as well. If we get an edit out at 1-2am the day before it’s due, you can blame it on the fresh powder Tyler will be shredding in the backcountry in the morning. The exact thing we encourage, which pays dividends to the work we produce.

In the coming months we are going to refresh our site, reel, and be able to give a better glimpse at our capabilities. But until we get all the 1’s and 0’s dialed in, here is a quick peek, a glance per se, at what we do/love. Stoked beyond measure for what’s ahead of us. And are more excited than ever to tackle every project with a new energy and sense of purpose. As we say often on our daily conversations: Here we go.

APRIL

As previously seen on the blog, we worked with First Descents, a local Denver non-profit working with young adults who are fighting or have dealt with cancer. This was a quick short about what helped Beast during chemo. We are heading into the rivers of Montana with them next week to capture a few more stories that should be coming out in the fall.

MAY

SILVERTON SCHOOL | COLORADO EDUCATION INITIATIVE

Spent practically the entire month filming, which made us really really happy. Here’s a quick screen grab from a shoot with Colorado Education Initiative. This shot was created at 6:15am in Silverton, Colorado. The weather was 19 degrees and our Los Angeles based Michael Grace absolutely loved/crushed only having a light fleece and lukewarm coffee.

SPROUT AMP | PS AUDIO

We also managed to wrap a kickstarter video for PS Audio’s new Sprout Amp project. We normally don’t do kickstarter videos, but kickstarters normally don’t yield 414k off a 36k goal either. We are incredibly psyched to be on board their incredibly successful kickstarter/launch campaign. Here’s the video we created with Scott and the PS Audio team:

JUNE

BLOG CABIN 2014 | DIY NETWORK

Wrapped up fifteen Blog Cabin 2014 online videos for DIY Network. Got to fly the MoVi M5 for the first time and had a great time with the crew. Also, loved working with local designers Jonathan and EB Combs from The Whistler and the Well to help create a fun title and lower 3rd look/feel. Here’s a quick peek at one of the videos and a couple fun BTS shots.

Kelsey finished the second issue of Fellow Magazine as Editor and Chief, which turned out to be a stunningly beautiful 144 pages, with over 30 contributors. Shaun and Adam both photographed stories, and one of our beekeeper story images landed on the cover. (magazine cover photo: Shaun Boyte / photo of woman holding magazine: David Fiser)

And at the end of June, Kelsey and I tied the knot! Photographed by Hugh Forte and David Fiser. A quick peek below from David.

JULY

MLB ALLSTAR GAME PROMO | FOX

We were asked by Fox to film Troy Tulowitzki for the 2014 MLB All-Star Game intro, our first national tv appearance. Don’t have the piece anywhere online, but here is an iphone shot we got while watching.

URBAN MATTRESS | GOOD APPLES

We’ve been talking with the fine gentlemen over at Good Apples for a few years, looking for a project to collaborate with them on, and finally we found one. We shot the first location of a series of stills to be used for Urban Mattress for their campaign theme, “wake up well.” The photos will be finding their way into the world soon, but here are a couple iphone behind the scenes captures to give a very small glimpse into this project.

AUGUST

FD1 CAMP | FIRST DESCENTS

We were lucky enough to get to spend a week near the Clark Fork of the Columbia River in Tarkio, Montana with our friends, First Descents, filming an FD1 camp and helping to capture their brand story. Even though we were there capturing video assets, I could resist grabbing a few stills as well. Here are two of camp mom Goose and founder Brad Ludden.

FIREBALL WHISKEY | ZEHNDER

Got called upon by Zehnder of New Orleans to help direct and shoot a :30 second online commercial for Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey. We had an absolute blast, and while the production is still in post, here are a couple early, ungraded frame grabs. Shot on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera.

BALL INTERNAL “WHO WE ARE” VIDEO | CARBON8

We were incredibly psyched when we got the call from Carbon8 to film around Ball Corp for the day and capture a few interviews plus broll for a Who We Are internal video. Here are a couple fun BTS stills of Mike in his full PPE (personal protection equipment) gear and an incredibly talented driver, showing off a little for the camera, in the plant.

WHY COMMUNITY MATTERS | KARSH/HAGAN

We love working with Karsh and to combine that with capturing stories about why the community matters, we couldn’t have asked for a better day. We filmed two new stories in Estes Park and Loveland for the Community Matters Series. Here’s a quick BTS shot from the foundry, showing all the jackets that have been charred while on the job over the years

We are also currently wrapping up a few projects. On the next press run (on final approvals now): three 30 second broadcast spots and a two minute web video for Visit South Walton, another project we are working on with Zehnder (frame grab 1 below) and a 3 minute overview/brand piece covering our time in Nicaragua with Brown Water Coffee (a still from the project, 2, which was also featured in Fellow Magazine issue two).

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Thanks for taking time to check out what we’ve been up to recently. Looking forward to an incredible fall of working hard, doing great work and taking care of our clients/friends!